American Whisky Review #19: Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Distillery: Wild Turkey

Region: Kentucky

ABV: 58.4%

Age: NAS

Bottle Code: LL/FL061004

Price: $45

Color: 1.5, Auburn/Polished Mahogany. Non-Chill Filtered and Natural Color.

Nose: (according to the wife) Loads and loads of vanilla up front with a hint of burnt rubber, caramel, and new oak. Towards the very end, there is a cherry note that’s kind of medicinal.

Palate: Very full mouthfeel. Despite being 58.4% ABV, it definitely doesn’t feel like it is that strong and is rather easy drinking. Much like the nose teases, it’s sweet with a bunch of vanilla and medicinal cherry. There are notes of caramel along with a few hints of leather, nutmeg, and a hint of corn mash.

Finish: Medium to long in length. Crazy amounts of vanilla again here along with a bit of fresh oak.

Conclusion: What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with Wild Turkey? This one honestly feels almost like a lovely desert dram. It’s on the sweet end of things and vanilla absolutely dominates it from start to finish. There are a few lovely other notes that contribute to this, such as the medicinal cherry and caramel, but vanilla is absolutely the star of the show. Everything does complement each other fairly well, other than that odd burnt rubber note in the nose, and results in a lovely whisky. Would I buy another? Probably.

Final Score: 82.

American Whisky review #19, Bourbon Whiskey Review #16, Whisky Network Review #163

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.